The enemy has been completely defeated and is in retreat following joint attacks by the Mukti Bahini and allied forces. Addressing the people of Bangladesh, a call was made for a united, decisive strike to deliver the final blow. Citizens were urged to support the freedom fighters by all means and to maintain peace and order.
An appeal was also made directly to all enemy soldiers and Razakars to lay down their arms and surrender, saying that doing so could still ensure their safety.
This appeal was made by Tajuddin Ahmad, Prime Minister of the government of Bangladesh in exile, in a radio address on 8 December 1971. The address clearly indicated that Bangladesh’s victory and Pakistan’s defeat were only a matter of time.
According to writer Rabindranath Tribedi in his book 71 Er Dosh Mash, Akashvani again broadcast a surrender message from Indian Army chief General Manekshaw that morning. Leaflets carrying surrender messages in multiple languages were dropped from the air.
The message stated that the combined forces had surrounded Pakistani troops on all sides and called upon them to surrender.
On that day, Cumilla was liberated from Pakistani occupation as Pakistani forces retreated into the cantonment. Freedom fighters formally hoisted the national flag in Cumilla under the leadership of Jahur Ahmed Chowdhury, chairman of the Mujibnagar government’s South-East Regional Council, and Advocate Ahmed Ali.
The map-embroidered national flag of Bangladesh began flying across Cumilla.
Across the country, the advance of the combined forces continued. Fierce fighting was reported in areas including Brahmanbaria, Hili, Sunamganj, Chhatak, Lalmonirhat, Durgapur, Haluaghat and Akhaura. In Dhaka, allied forces carried out 10 air strikes aimed at military installations.
Following the capture of Pakistan’s stronghold in Jashore the previous day, the Mukti Bahini and allied forces achieved successive victories and pressed on towards Dhaka. On the same day, a Mukti Bahini unit liberated Brahmanbaria and advanced towards Ashuganj, while Barishal and Pirojpur were also freed.
The fall of Jashore received prominence in a report by The New York Times foreign correspondent Sydney Schanberg in 1971. His Liberation War reports were later compiled, edited and translated by Mofidul Haque in the book Dateline Bangladesh: Nineteen Seventy-One.
The headline of Schanberg’s 8 December report read “‘Free’ Jashore and the Bengalis’ dance”. He described scenes of Bengalis dancing on bus roofs, chanting independence slogans, embracing one another and enthusiastically greeting foreigners by clasping their hands.
In his book Muldhara ’71, writer and researcher Moeedul Hasan noted that the battlefield situation on 8 December had become even more dire for Pakistan. In West Pakistan, despite repeated efforts in Chhamb, Pakistan made almost no progress. The situation elsewhere was also grim, with Indian dominance evident along the Rajasthan-Sindh border and continued Indian naval and air attacks on Karachi. In eastern regions, Pakistan’s position deteriorated further as troops fled from Brahmanbaria just as they had from Jashore. The fall of part of Cumilla became inevitable, and the India-Bangladesh allied forces continued their advance. Whether Pakistani forces could reorganise their positions around Dhaka after this retreat remained uncertain. In summary, there was no progress in West Pakistan and only retreat in the east.
On the same day, Pakistan government-nominated deputy prime minister and Pakistan Peoples Party leader Zulfikar Ali Bhutto left for New York to join the United Nations General Assembly as head of Pakistan’s delegation.
At the UN General Assembly, Indian representative Samar Sen stated that Pakistan must recognise Bangladesh and release Awami League leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to restore peace in the subcontinent. He added that no UN proposal would be workable unless it was acceptable to the Bangladesh government.
Glive24/SS